It is common in many applications to provide an insert or vehicle body attachment suitable for mounting upon a truck body and adapted to carry and distribute a quantity of particulate matter over a surface. Most typically, small inserts in light trucks or larger inserts for use with, for example, dump trucks, are specifically adapted to apply salt and/or sand to heavily traveled roads, intersections, entry ramps and exit ramps, runways, parking areas, and other surfaces. In light of this seasonal usage that is typical for a large portion of the distributor insert market, inserts or attachments may lie dormant and generally unused for large periods of time throughout the year. Even where use is less seasonal, municipalities, counties, state governments, airports, and other users of such equipment typically employ trucks and other vehicles for multiple uses. Therefore, it is common for a distributor insert to be repeatedly mounted and removed from vehicles throughout the span of its useful life.
Typical distributor inserts comprise a V-shaped particulate bay body having a generally V-shaped cross section profile with sidewalls that slant inwardly and down to guide particulate matter to a conveyance means in the center of the particulate bay floor or bottom wall. Other distributor inserts may have particulate bay profiles that are otherwise curved or slanted to direct material to a conveyance means. It is most common to have a release element, such as a spinner or other particulate stream dispersion control means, disposed near a particulate bay conveyance means exit. Such release elements typically extend downward a distance below the floor or bottom wall of the bay to a position that is near to the surface that is to receive the distributed material.
Traditionally, to facilitate storage of the distributor insert, the downwardly extending release element is either removed to allow the particulate bay to rest on the ground, or the entire distributor insert is maintained above the ground by support means. In the alternative, the provision of pivoting connections in the construction and attachment of release elements has allowed movement of swing-up release elements from their lowered positions. Of course, provision of a swing-up release element results in added cost to distributor inserts.
Deconstruction of distributor inserts through removal of the release element or the provision of a pivoting release element may be a complicated process due to the existence of drive mechanisms, power means, and power transmissions associated with spreaders, blowers, spinners, or other release element components. In addition, the relatively complex release element, if removed, demands additional storage space or a separate storage support structure. Because the release elements may demand servicing in the off-season it is desirable to store the distributor inserts in manner that allows access to the release element. Further, because distributor inserts must often be placed into service upon short notice and under adverse weather conditions, it is desirable to maintain or store the distributor inserts in a xe2x80x9cservice-readyxe2x80x9d state. Therefore, because removal of the release element may demand the cutting of chains, decoupling of hydraulic connections, or other power system disassembly, there is a need for storage means that do not demand the removal of release elements. There is also a need for storage means that allow access to the release element without demanding a separate storage structure for release elements and without demanding assembly of the distributor insert when it is necessary to place the insert into service.
Unfortunately, prior solutions for distributor insert storage have ranged from makeshift supports such as drums, barrels, and saw horses to specially designed stands (which themselves require storage when the distributor insert is mounted and in use) to massive, built-in-place support structures costing exorbitant sums and demanding a large amount of space. Other prior solutions to the problem of distributor insert storage include extendable legs, xe2x80x9cgurney-stylexe2x80x9d break-away legs, or other support means built into the distributor insert (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,511). Unfortunately, such supports add weight and cost to the distributor insert, thus decreasing the payload capacity and providing no beneficial function while the distributor is in use.
In some instances, and in particular with makeshift storage means, the typically V-shaped distributor inserts have been stored in unstable positions. The floor or bottom wall of the distributor insert is generally narrow relative to the overall insert. As such, resting the insert upon the bottom wall may result in tipping of the insert.
There is therefore a need for a distributor insert storage stand that provides for stable support. There is also a need for a distributor insert storage stand that serves as a functional part of the distributor insert when the insert is in use. There is a further need for a storage stand that serves as a functional part of the distributor insert and that allows storage without removal of the mechanically complex release element. Finally, there is a need for a support stand that does not itself require storage when the distributor insert is in use.
When used to distribute road salt and other materials, it is important for proper operation of most distributor inserts to provide granular material of a desired size and to avoid the agglomeration of particles into large masses. Such masses may be incapable of being conveyed and distributed by the distributor insert conveyance means. The introduction of moisture or foreign material into stored material supplies may result in the formation of undesirable large blocks. Therefore, there is a need for a screening or breaking step prior to or during particulate bay loading. It is an object of the present invention to meet the needs recited herein in addition to other useful purposes as will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon being taught the present invention. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved distributor insert having a screening means that serves as a stable, convenient, and lightweight stand when the insert is not in use.
A distributor insert panel stand is disclosed as being adapted for use both as a distributor insert wall panel and as a lightweight and stable distributor insert stand. Preferably, one or more of the wall panels are perforated or reticulated to serve a screening function when used as a cover for an otherwise generally open top wall. The panels may be fitted together when removed from the particulate bay to form a stand having a footprint or base of sufficient width to provide improved stability and to allow support of the distributor insert at a height sufficient to allow suspension of the lowly disposed release element above the ground.
In the alternative, and as a simplified embodiment, a selected particulate bay element may be detachable from a working position to a storage position where it may be securely attached near the particulate bay rear side to allow storage of the insert in a generally angled relationship relative to a support surface. Importantly, this arrangement allows for stable storage and protection of the mechanically complex release element without demanding removal of the release element and without obstructing access to the release element. In this manner, the distributor may be stored without demanding the purchase and housing of a separate stand, without demanding the addition of elements that are non-functional when the distributor insert is in use, with the demand of only a minimal amount of effort in the removal and placement of particulate bay elements to convert the same from a use-mode function to a storage-mode function, and with easy access provided for servicing the release element. As illustrated herein, end walls, side wall portions, or other distributor insert bodies may be utilized as stand elements. However, for ease of use, lightweight perforated or reticulated screening top wall panels are preferred.